Saints prop Brookes hit with two-week ban

Tom Vickers

Kieran Brookes was given a two-week ban at his RFU disciplinary hearing in Leeds on Tuesday night.

The prop pleaded guilty to charging into a ruck in last Friday’s 22-16 Aviva Premiership defeat to Newcastle Falcons.

Brookes was sent off a minute before the break for making contact with the face of Falcons hooker Scott Lawson.

He will now miss Saturday’s Premiership game at Leicester and the Champions Cup clash with Leinster at Franklin’s Gardens on December 9.

He is free to play again on December 13, meaning he will be available for the trip to Leinster on December 17.

Calum Clark will also be back for that game as his three-week suspension for striking with the elbow in the recent win at Worcester also ends on December 13.

Like Brookes, Newcastle lock Calum Green was also in Leeds on Tuesday evening.

He had been cited for striking Brookes with his arm and has been suspended for one week after pleading guilty.

The RFU disciplinary panel said: “Both of these cases were considered low end entry points by the panel however Kieran Brookes does not have a clean disciplinary record and so the panel did not feel able to reduce the sanction to one week as they could in the case of Calum Green.”